Dodkong minions

[Casimir Liber]

I started updating the Dodkong as discussed, but I'm not finished yet and my lunch break is over! However, I did want to note that I am adding a "raise dead" ability to the Crown of Obadai as that is one ability I actually found mentioned in my research, My question for you (@Cleon & @Casimir Liber) is: should this ability just be able to raise dead giants or humanoids too, or any creature? Any thoughts?

I'd say both humanoids and giants.

Re range of detect life. So shall we say 300 feet?

Detect Life. The cairn wight can sense the aura of creatures within 300 feet that aren't constructs or undead. It knows the general direction only. This gives the sensed creatures disadvantage on Stealth rolls.

 

[Cleon]

I started updating the Dodkong as discussed, but I'm not finished yet and my lunch break is over! However, I did want to note that I am adding a "raise dead" ability to the Crown of Obadai as that is one ability I actually found mentioned in my research, My question for you (@Cleon & @Casimir Liber) is: should this ability just be able to raise dead giants or humanoids too, or any creature? Any thoughts?

Where's that from?

The only description of the crown of Obadai I've seen is the "When one of the clan chieftains in Cairnheim dies, the Dodkong brings him back to unlife as a dodforer, using ancient giant rituals and the power of the crown of Obadai, a stone giant artifact that grants the Dodkong power over the undead" on page 132 of Underdark (2003).

I guess that's raising the dead, but they rise up as dodforers not living giants so it isn't the raise dead spell.

The Grand History of the Realms (2007) mentions the Crown of Obadai in its story about how the Dodkong tried to turn his lover into an immortal undead, but killed her and turned himself into a Lich instead.

 

[Cleon]

I'd say both humanoids and giants.

Re range of detect life. So shall we say 300 feet?

Detect Life. The cairn wight can sense the aura of creatures within 300 feet that aren't constructs or undead. It knows the general direction only. This gives the sensed creatures disadvantage on Stealth rolls.

I'm thinking it can be a general ability common to cairns (i.e. the Cairn Wraith and Dodkong could have it to). Which'd go some way to explain why the Dodkong's so elusive and has survived so long: he can feel living intruders coming and avoids them.

Got a few ideas to make it a little more interesting, but don't have the time or inclination at the moment as I've spent long enough on those blinkin' Dragon Warriors for today.

Might post something in a day or three.

 

[dave2008]

Where's that from?

The only description of the crown of Obadai I've seen is the "When one of the clan chieftains in Cairnheim dies, the Dodkong brings him back to unlife as a dodforer, using ancient giant rituals and the power of the crown of Obadai, a stone giant artifact that grants the Dodkong power over the undead" on page 132 of Underdark (2003).

I guess that's raising the dead, but they rise up as dodforers not living giants so it isn't the raise dead spell.

The Grand History of the Realms (2007) mentions the Crown of Obadai in its story about how the Dodkong tried to turn his lover into an immortal undead, but killed her and turned himself into a Lich instead.

It was from a wiki, so it was not an original source. That being clarified, I put "raise dead" in quotes to indicate the concept, not the spell. I was asking what it should reanimate first, into what would be the next question. Per a previous reply we are going with giants and humanoids. So what does it bring them back as? Wights (humanoids) and Cairn Wights (giants)? Or more options, possibly random?

 

[Cleon]

It was from a wiki, so it was not an original source. That being clarified, I put "raise dead" in quotes to indicate the concept, not the spell. I was asking what it should reanimate first, into what would be the next question. Per a previous reply we are going with giants and humanoids. So what does it bring them back as? Wights (humanoids) and Cairn Wights (giants)? Or more options, possibly random?

That works for me.

Would you be applying any limit to the number undead the crown can create/control at any one time?

Going by Underdark it has to be at least a score (as there are twenty dodfoders), plus the Dodkong himself.

 

[Cleon]

The Grand History of the Realms story of the Dodkong has this for an into:

Below, a brief tale transcribed by Dunador the Elder, a renegade stone giant, following a dangerous but successful mind reading of the Dodkong. The fate of Dunador is unknown, but he is believed to have been captured and turned into a zombie that serves the Dodkong to this day.​

Which reveals (a) the Dodkong is subject to mind-reading, and (b) he's able to create zombie stone giants. In 3E that's impossible with an ordinary animate dead spell (there's a 10 HD threshold on the base creature and a Stone Giant is 14 HD), but it's probably doable with create undead.

So it looks like we need to stat up a Cairn Zombie too!

 

[Casimir Liber]

I had published a simple one here - let me know of other tweaks before I rename it

 

[Cleon]

I'm thinking it can be a general ability common to cairns (i.e. the Cairn Wraith and Dodkong could have it to). Which'd go some way to explain why the Dodkong's so elusive and has survived so long: he can feel living intruders coming and avoids them.

Got a few ideas to make it a little more interesting, but don't have the time or inclination at the moment as I've spent long enough on those blinkin' Dragon Warriors for today.

Might post something in a day or three.

Let's have a stab at this, in order of increasing elaborateness:

Detect Life #1—Life Detection. The cairn knows if there is a living creature within 300 feet of it, as well as the creature's type (beast, humanoid, et cetera), and degree of sentience (mindless, animal intelligence, or fully sapient). The cairn can use an action to focus Detect Life on a creature it senses, which lets the cairn know where the creature is located. This power can penetrate most barriers, including any thickness of rock or dirt, but is blocked by 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood.​

​

Detect Life #2—Sense Life. The cairn knows if there is a living creature within 300 feet of it, as well as the creature's type (beast, humanoid, et cetera), and degree of sentience (mindless, animal intelligence, or fully sapient). The cairn can use an action to focus Sense Life on a living creature it detects, which must make a DC ## Wisdom saving throw. If the target fails, the cairn knows where the creature is located. If the target succeeds, then for the next 24 hours the targeted creature gets a chilling impression they're being watched every time the cairn focuses Sense Life upon them; the target can then make a Wisdom (Insight) check or Charisma (Deception) check against a Wisdom (Perception) check by the cairn; if this check succeeds the cairn's Sense Life will not locate that creature for 1 minute, or until the cairn locates them with another sense.​

 This power can penetrate most barriers, including any thickness of rock or dirt, but is blocked by 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood.​

​

Detect Life #3—Life Sense. The cairn can sense living organisms within 300 feet of it. If a living creature enters this range, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against the cairn's passive Perception (DC ##); if the creature fails, the cairn is alerted to the creature's presence, as well as the creature's type (beast, humanoid, et cetera), and degree of sentience (mindless, animal intelligence, or fully sapient). If the creature succeeds, the cairn's Life Sense will not detect them for 1 minute (whereupon the creature repeats the saving throw), or until the cairn notices the intruder using one of its other senses (which causes Life Sense to automatically detect the creature).​

 The cairn can use an action to focus Life Sense on a living creature it detects, which must make a DC ## Wisdom saving throw. If the target fails, the cairn knows where the creature is located. If the target succeeds, then for the next 24 hours the targeted creature gets a chilling impression they're being watched every time the cairn focuses Life Sense at them; the target can then make a Wisdom (Insight) check or Charisma (Deception) check against a Wisdom (Perception) check by the cairn; if this check succeeds the cairn's Life Sense will not locate that creature for 1 minute, or until the cairn locates them with another sense.​

 This power can penetrate most barriers, including any thickness of rock or dirt, but is blocked by 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood.​

Mixed up the names so it wasn't just Detect Life #1, #2 and #3. Of the three names I like Life Sense the best (or should that be Lifesense?), although not necessarily the Detect Life #3 "Life Sense" ability.

I've got an idea for an even more complicated version, but that'll have to wait.

 

[Cleon]

I had published a simple one here

Well it ought to be simple. It's only a Zombie!

let me know of other tweaks before I rename it

Hmm, well my first thought is to drop the Rock Catching and maybe the Rock, since standard Zombies lack the coordination to use ranged weapons (unlike Skeletons) and would definitely be too clumsy to catch stones if you threw one to them.

Will post an Enworld Working Draft for them and then see if I can come up with anything else.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Hmm, well my first thought is to drop the Rock Catching and maybe the Rock, since standard Zombies lack the coordination to use ranged weapons (unlike Skeletons) and would definitely be too clumsy to catch stones if you threw one to them.

Fair - alternate view is that stone giants are so innately rock-catchy and throwy to leave them in (though less dextrous - maybe at disadvantage to catch(?))

My initial idea with the sense life was #1 to keep it simple...but I think I really like the mechanic of creepily being watched...so I could toss a coin between #2 and #3, maybe leaning to #2?